This Week in Arlington

&lt;bt&gt;An Arlington man was stabbed in the Seven Corners area Saturday, June 19. At approximately 11:15 p.m., officers from the Mason District were called to a Laundromat at 6333 Leesburg Pike. They discovered that an 18-year-old Arlington man had been stabbed after a dispute with several men. One of the men approached the victim at the Laundromat and began arguing with him for an unknown reason. The victim tried to leave and was stabbed in the upper body by that man. He was transported to Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington and treated for minor injuries. The stabbing suspect was described as Hispanic with short, black, curly hair and wore a white T-shirt with black pants. A tattoo of a hand was seen on the suspect's back. The other suspects were all Hispanic men.

&lt;sh&gt;Fourth of July Sober Ride

&lt;bt&gt;Free cab rides will be offered in Arlington on July 3 and 4. Independence Day ranks as the second deadliest holiday regarding drunk driving deaths. Offered by the Washington Regional Alcohol Program (WRAP), the Independence Day Sober Ride program will be in operation from 4 p.m. July 3 to 4 a.m. July 4. Area residents can call toll-free 1-800-200-TAXI and be afforded a no-cost safe way home, up to a $50 fare.

&lt;sh&gt;Fourth of July Fireworks

&lt;bt&gt;There will be no fireworks displays in Arlington this Fourth of July, due to construction at Barcroft Park and the renovation of the Washington Golf and Country Club clubhouse. However, the county offers several views of the national fireworks in the District.

Popular spots in Arlington to watch the national display are the Marine Corps War Memorial (Iwo Jima) and areas along the Virginia side of the Potomac River that can be reached from George Washington Memorial Parkway. To watch the fireworks from Iwo Jima, take Metro's Orange line to the Rosslyn Metro station. To reach the George Washington Memorial Parkway's Gravely Point parking lot, head south on the parkway to Reagan National Airport. At the airport, circle back to head north on the parkway towards the 14th Street Bridge. About a quarter of a mile before the bridge, turn right into the parking area. No glass bottles, alcohol or fireworks are allowed at the Gravely Point parking lot or anywhere along the parkway.

Other places to watch the fireworks are Gateway Park in Rosslyn and Key Bridge, which crosses the Potomac River between Georgetown and Arlington. Take Metro's Orange line to the Rosslyn Metro station. Get there early to grab a spot or railing-side spot at the bridge. There is no seating at the bridge, and you can stand on the sidewalks only.

Arlington's Barcroft community will host its annual Fourth of July Parade, which starts at 10 a.m. at 800 S. Buchanan Street. For more information about the event, contact Andrew Hunter at 703-979-8247.

Other fireworks and activities around the area:

Washington, D.C.: morning parade along Constitution Avenue from 7th to 17th Street, NW, at 11:45 a.m. In the evening, enjoy the fireworks over the reflecting pool on the National Mall. For more information visit www.nps.gov/nama/events/july4/july4.htm.

Oronoco Bay Park: The Alexandria Symphony Orchestra and swing dancers will perform on Saturday, July 9 from 6 to 10:30 p.m. and pay tribute to the music of the 1940s. Fireworks will be at 10 p.m. The park is located at 7 N. Lee St., Alexandria. Call 703-883-4686.

George Mason High School: Live music will start at 7 p.m. followed by fireworks at 9:30 p.m. The high school is located at 7124 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church.

Fairfax City hosts an Independence Day Parade through the downtown area beginning at 10 a.m. Musical entertainment begins at 7 p.m. at Fairfax High School, with a fireworks display at dark. Call 703-385-7858.

&lt;sh&gt;Precinct Changes

&lt;bt&gt;The Arlington County Board approved amendments to the ordinance on precincts and polling places. These changes include shifts in precinct boundaries and the addition of new polling places, largely as a result of population growth in Arlington's transit corridors. The changes are made to reduce voter wait time and alleviate crowding at some polling places. Changes include moving Hume, Woodlawn and Fillmore precincts to larger venues; adjusting the boundaries between Ballston and Buckingham precincts to alleviate overcrowding in Ballston; and creating three new precincts: Four Mile Run (Columbia Pike transit corridor) and Courtlands and Monroe (both Rosslyn-Ballston transit corridor). The changes will take effect with the Nov. 8 general election, pending approval from the U.S. Department of Justice.

&lt;sh&gt;Alternative Fuel in Arlington

Virginia Clean Cities honored Arlington for its leadership in the use of alternative fuels in county fleet vehicles.

Arlington has the largest fleet of biodiesel-fueled vehicles of any Virginia jurisdiction, according to Virginia Clean Cities. Over 40 percent of the county's fleet of 1,346 vehicles run on fuels that are cleaner, improve air quality and reduce reliance on foreign sources of petroleum products. The presentation was made June 23 at a biodiesel workshop in Arlington, sponsored by the Virginia Division of Energy.

In Arlington, more than 400 large trucks and school buses are fueled by B-20 biodiesel — a mixture of 20 percent refined soybean fuel oil and 80 percent No. 2 diesel fuel. Arlington began using B-20 in its diesel-powered fleet of school buses and other vehicles in September 2001, and its use has reduced the emission of black soot from diesel-powered vehicle exhausts.